Fifteen schools in the Northwest Territories have earned a total of $9,050.00 in donations from Northwestel in the 10^th year of the company’s directory recycling program. This year, over a period of six weeks, students collected 6,022 directories from homes and offices in Hay River, Fort Providence, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith and Yellowknife.

Each spring, Northwestel invites schools to collect out-dated Northwestel directories for recycling. Northwestel rewards participating schools with cash awards for school programs and activities.

“We are so pleased each year when students, teachers, parents and community members embrace this program with such enthusiasm,” said Anne Kennedy, Northwestel Director Communications. “Their efforts pay off in several ways. Students have a personal learning experience about the importance of recycling, more directories are diverted from our landfills, and schools receive additional funding for their programs. This year, schools are using the Northwestel donation dollars for a wide variety of activities, including school trips, building a wheelchair accessible entryway and assisting with construction of a well in India. Northwestel is very proud that our awards are being used in such excellent ways.”

École William McDonald Middle School has taken part in the directory recycling program in five previous years. This year, the school tried setting up a contest to inspire and motivate the students.

“Our Program Support Teacher, Lynn Lalonde, came up with the idea to offer an incentive to the students,” said Deanna Black, École William McDonald Middle School Secretary. “The class that collected the most directories per student will receive two ‘free’ class periods, led by Ms. Lalonde. The students will get to choose some fun activities for those two classes, instead of doing their regular work. That got the students really excited and soon after that, students began coming in with boxes of twenty or even fifty directories at a time. They were collecting them from their parents’ workplaces or going door-to-door. In the end, our Grade 8 French Immersion class, taught by Eve Dessureault, came in first, followed closely by our Grade 8 English-stream class, taught by Paul Mcdonald. This program certainly helps teach our students to work as a team and reminds them how important it is to protect our environment.”

The participation of the four schools outside Yellowknife is facilitated through a partnership with Wesclean Northern Sales of Hay River. Wesclean picks up directories collected by these schools and transports them to Yellowknife. Northwestel provides the boxes for directory collection at each school. Under another partnership, the City of Yellowknife coordinates the pick-up of directories from all schools within the city.

Schools earn $200.00 for meeting a target of one directory per student (Green Level), $500.00 for 1.25 or more directories per student (Jade Level) and $750.00 for two or more directories per student (Emerald Level). Northwestel also provides a smaller cash award of $100.00 for participating schools which do not meet the minimum requirements of the program

Since the program began, Northwestel has so far contributed over $163,000.00 to northern schools in the NWT, Yukon and northern BC, which have collected more than 108,000 directories for recycling in the past ten years. This year’s program is just beginning in Yukon and northern BC, as well as expanding to Iqaluit, which is joining the program for the first time.

Northwestel provides complete telecommunications solutions and entertainment services in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon, northern British Columbia and High Level, Alberta. The company’s operations span nearly 4 million square kilometres of the most remote and rugged areas of Canada.

(see attached list of benefiting schools and the attached photo)

Photo Caption: École William McDonald Middle School participants celebrate their success along with Northwestel Vice President Business Solutions Mark Walker; Yellowknife Mayor Gord Van Tighem; Manager of Wesclean Yellowknife Dennis Baker. Photo by billbradenphoto.

 Results of 2011 NWT Directory Recycling Program